CHONBURI, 14 August 2015 – Khao Kheow open zoo in Chonburi Province has introduced its newest member – a 7-month-old koala cub.
According to zoo officials, the cub was born from Chiangmuan and Ken, the zoo’s resident koala couple. Currently, the cub can be seen clinging to the back of its mother all the time.
The officials said although they have decided to put the koala family on show, the koala mom still refuses to let anyone close to her cub. They expected the young koala would start to be more independent at the age of one, which would allow officials to determine its gender.
Koalas are often called bears because they look a little like teddy bears, but they are actually marsupials. Like other marsupials, the female has a pouch where she carries her baby, called a joey, for several months after birth. When a joey is strong enough to cling to its mother’s back, it leaves the pouch but still sticks its head in to nurse.
